Dear Valued Home Owners,
This month we are highlighting proper Air Conditioning Maintenance. Maintaining your Air Conditioner is a lot like maintaining your car. Neglecting necessary maintenance ensures a steady decline in overall performance and may lead to major repairs. An air conditioner’s filters, coils, and fins require regular maintenance for the unit to function effectively and efficiently throughout its years of service.
The most important maintenance task that will ensure the efficiency of your air conditioner is to routinely replace or clean its filters. Clogged, dirty filters block normal airflow and reduce a system’s efficiency significantly. With normal airflow obstructed, air that bypasses the filter may carry dirt directly into the evaporator coil and impair the coil’s heat-absorbing capacity. Replacing a dirty, clogged filter with a clean one can lower your air conditioner’s energy consumption by 5% to 15%.
Clean or replace your air conditioning system’s filter or filters every month or two during the cooling season. Filters may need more frequent attention if the air conditioner is in constant use, is subjected to dusty conditions, or you have fur-bearing pets in the house.
AIR CONDITIONER COILS
The air conditioner’s evaporator coil and condenser coil collect dirt over their months and years of service. A clean filter prevents the evaporator coil from soiling quickly. In time, however, the evaporator coil will still collect dirt. This dirt reduces airflow and insulates the coil, reducing its ability to absorb heat. To avoid this problem, check your evaporator coil every year and clean it as necessary.
Outdoor condenser coils can also become very dirty if the outdoor environment is dusty or if there is foliage nearby. You can easily see the condenser coil and notice if dirt is collecting on its fins.
You should minimize dirt and debris near the condenser unit. Your dryer vents, falling leaves, and lawn mower are all potential sources of dirt and debris. Cleaning the area around the coil, removing any debris, and trimming foliage back at least 2 feet (0.6 meters) allow for adequate airflow around the condenser.
CONDENSATE DRAINS
Clogged drain channels prevent a unit from reducing humidity, and the resulting excess moisture may discolor walls or carpet.
HIRING A PROFESSIONAL
For proper Air Conditioner maintenance, hire a professional service technician. A well trained technician will find and fix problems in your air conditioning system.
The technician should:
Check for correct amount of refrigerant
Test for refrigerant leaks using a detector
Capture any refrigerant that must be evacuated from the system, instead of illegally releasing it into the atmosphere
Check for and seal duct leakage in central systems
Measure airflow through the evaporator coil
Verify the correct electric control sequence and make sure that the heating and cooling systems cannot operate simultaneously
Inspect electric terminals, clean and tighten connections and apply a nonconducive coating if necessary
Oil motors and check belts for tightness and wear
Check the accuracy of the thermostat
Source: Energy.gov
Contact us at Florida Estate Management Services, if you are interested in checking the performance of your Air Conditioning units or signing up for a regular maintenance program. We recommend AC units are maintained twice a year with filter changes quarterly to keep your AC units in optimal condition.
Call and let us know how we can best serve you today!
